The Seimas adopted the amendments to the Criminal Code, thus bringing the provisions of the Code in line with the Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism.

The rights of EU citizens living in the UK and how they will be affected by Brexit is the focus of a hearing organised by three parliamentary committees this week. In addition the inquiry committee investigating the Panama papers holds a meeting with representatives from the Channel Islands, Gibraltar and Madeira to discuss their tax regimes.Political groups also prepare for next week's plenary session.

“European contribution to the enhancement of defence capabilities should be bigger. It is also important to complement NATO but avoid overlapping,” Minister of National Defence Raimundas Karoblis said at the informal European Union Defence Ministers meeting held in Valetta, Malta, on April 26-27. The National Defence Minister stated Lithuania’s support to the European initiatives that enhance defence capabilities in Europe and sharing the Trans-Atlantic burden, with a focus on sufficient defence financing in Europe.

Next Wednesday, May 10, President Dalia Grybauskaitė will meet with U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis. This is the first visit of a top official in charge of U.S. defense policy to our region, which demonstrates the exclusive attention paid by the United States to the security of Lithuania and the other Baltic states.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė met with King Philippe of Belgium who came to Lithuania to visit Belgian soldiers serving in the NATO forward presence battalion.

On Wednesday, 3 May 2017, Viktoras Pranckietis, Speaker of the Seimas, met with István Hiller, Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly. They discussed the cooperation between Lithuania and Hungary, nuclear safety, the Astravyets NPP, and matters pertaining to Ukraine and Russia. The Speaker of the Seimas thanked Dr Hiller for Hungary’s participation in NATO’s Air Policing mission in the Baltic States, appointment of an officer to the NATO Force Integration Unit in Vilnius, deployment of rotational forces in Lithuania, and participation in exercises.

On 28 April in Valletta, Malta, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius met with the Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano and discussed bilateral relations, and foreign policy issues.

Proposals to regulate private security firms, a blacklist of countries linked to money laundering and the opportunities and challenges of the sharing economy are just some of the topics covered by Parliament committees this week. In addition the House of European History will be officially launched this week, while the Parliament opens its door to the general public in Brussels.

Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius attended the informal meeting of EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Gymnich) in the Maltese capital Valletta on 28 April 2017. The Ministers discussed developments in Turkey, challenges in the international order of rules, and implementation of the EU Global Strategy on Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.